Felicitation ceremony for Grade 5 Scholarship Examination achievers Education system fails to meet job market demands – Dr. Bandula Gunawardana – BY CHAMINDA PERERA
Source : sundayobserver
Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardana on Monday said that the country’s education system does not provide a workforce to meet job market demands.
As a result of this, the youth produced by free education start sowing the seeds of hatred in society,” the Minister said.
Minister Dr. Gunawardana was speaking at the felicitation ceremony for children of Lake House employees, who performed exceptionally well at the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination in 2020, at the Lake House premises.
The children received gift packs from the Minister at the ceremony organised by the Lake House Benefit Fund.
The ANCL management led by Chairman Anusha Palpita was present.
The Minister while deploring the examination centric education system in the country, said that Sri Lanka is the only country where Grade 5 students are subjected to unprecedented pressure from parents and teachers.
“Many students pass in examinations, but fail in their lives due to examination centred education systems in the country,” the Minister said.
“There are many educated youth in the country but they don’t have the qualifications to meet the demand of the job market,” Dr. Gunawardana said adding that the country’s education system does not produce a workforce to meet the job market demands.
The Minister said the country faced two insurrections due to this situation.
“These youth stormed the houses of their teachers, made them kneel before them and killed them. They collect Identity Cards and engage in violence,” Minister Dr. Gunawardana said.
Technology stream
The Minister gave a brief outline on how he introduced the technology stream to the school and university system. He said that schools were equipped with Mahindodaya Laboratories to drive the country towards the path of Information Technology.
We succeed in providing more computers to schools and promoting students’ IT literacy,” the Minister said.
He added that India earns over US$ 200 billion per year by empowering IT education and Sri Lanka can also earn from the sector by strengthening it.
Dr. Gunawardana said that no country faces this type of situation.
Technology stream
The Minister gave a brief outline on how he introduced the technology stream to the school and university system. He said that schools were equipped with Mahindodaya Laboratories to drive the country towards the path of Information Technology.
We succeed in providing more computers to schools and promoting students’ IT literacy,” the Minister said.
He added that India earns over US$ 200 billion per year by empowering IT education and Sri Lanka can also earn from the sector by strengthening it.
Dr. Gunawardana said that no country faces this type of situation.
The Minister said that schoolchildren in Grade 5 have lost their childhood due to the Scholarship Examination.
The Father of Free Education, Dr. C.W.W. Kannangara introduced the Grade Five Scholarship Scheme for the selection of less privileged students to provide them scholarship grants to pursue their education.
He said that the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination of today is used to secure the children a popular school. There are three systems to determine the marks obtained by a student.
The marks are also determined by the number of scholarships granted by the Government. He said that nobody knows how the cut off marks are determined by education officials.
Journalists of media institutions should question the Examination Department and the Education Ministry as to how they determine the cut off marks for each school and who gave authority for them to do so.
Journalists and parents should question as to how cut off marks are determined and whether there is any scientific method to make such determination,” he said.
Minister Dr. Gunawardana said that he believes that many irregularities, biases and inequalities are involved in the process.
He said that educationists view that a student who obtains one-third of total marks of an examination is deemed to be passed.
There are two papers for the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination and students who obtain over 70 marks are considered to have passed the examination.
“The parents had started punishing students who obtained less marks at the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination,” he said.
Certificate of pass
He said that he as the Minister of Education succeeded in implementing a mechanism to send a certificate of pass to all Scholarship students who achieved 70 marks to avert this situation in the country.
The Minister said that over 80 percent of students pass the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination every year.
“I was able to give the Grade 5 students an impression that they have not failed. The impression of winning was instilled in their mind by issuing this certificate through the Examination Department. Over four million students sit for three key examinations conducted by the Department of Examinations. Lake House has been making an immeasurable contribution towards the advancement of the country in terms of the economy, politics and society,” the Minister said.
“Lake House has been fulfilling its social responsibilities towards the betterment of society since its establishment,” Minister Dr. Gunawardana said.
Media Ministry Secretary and ANCL Chairman Anusha Palpita said Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena rendered a yeomen service to the Education Sector by setting up Mahindaodaya Laboratories.
He said thousands of students benefit the technology stream introduced in universities. “I was among thousands of students who were taught by Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardana,” he said.
This project was sponsored by CIMA, ACCA, SDB, CIB, Vijaya Products companies.
Director Legal and Administration C.J.P. Ranatunga, Finance Director Prof. A.H.N. Kariyawasam, Director Operations P.M. Makumbura, Editorial Director Sisira K. Paranathanthri, General Manager S.J. Kotelawala, Company Secretary Attorney-at-Law J.S. Prasanga, Chello Company Chairman Kapila Ruwan Bandara, NSB Manager Priyanga Perera, Editors-in-Chief of the Daily News, Dinamina, Silumina and Thinakaran were present. Deputy General Manager Chandana Bandara also spoke.
